katherinecroftonJust a squirt here and there doesn’t seem like such a big deal. I mean, it is flu season. What could it hurt? Actually, using hand sanitizer could cause the body more harm than not. Hand sanitizer is not picky about the bacteria it kills and, by now, most people know we have good and bad bacteria. We need that good bacteria to keep us healthy.
By introducing this chemical laden, bacteria stripping substance to our lives, we are setting up the body, and quite possibly our society, for failure. I had a friend who ended up going to medical school and he told me something that stuck with me. The next mass extinction will be because of superbugs and it is all because people wipe down their carts with disinfecting sheets and use hand sanitizer.
Here are four reasons to stop using hand sanitizer now!
1. Creation of Drug-Resistant Bacteria
Hand sanitizer only kills 99.99% of germs. (What do you mean only? 99.99% is a lot.) I say only because it does not remove all bacteria and what is left behind only gets stronger. Bacteria is a great adapter. It knows how to survive because it has been around since the start of life on earth. Basically, by trying to kill off bacteria with hand sanitizer, one is training the bacteria to become resistant to it.
2. Skin Irritation
One reason I hate hand sanitizer is because it makes my skin feel weird. I am sensitive to fragrances and harsh chemicals and hand sanitizer often comes with both. It is mostly alcohol that dries out and irritates the skin. The active ingredient, ethyl alcohol, makes up 65%, and other alcohol types make up 30%. It is primarily setting up one’s hands to get irritated from either the hand sanitizer or something else they come in contact with.
3. Increase BPA Levels
Use of hand sanitizer increases BPA absorption in the body. It is all laid out in this study. BPA has a tendency to disrupt hormones in the body, and one of the biggest carriers of BPA is receipt paper. Yep. That stuff one gets from a grocery store or restaurant. For the study, they measured how much BPA was absorbed with and without hand sanitizer, and they found that hand sanitizer uses increased BPA absorption by 100%. That is huge!
4. Other Chemicals
Hand sanitizers come with a whole bunch of side chemicals that may or may not be listed in the ingredients. The fragrance is often listed as only “fragrance”, and one may never know what chemicals were used to make that. Introducing all these extra chemicals to one’s body is not a good idea.
What to Use Instead
1. Wash Your Hands
The simplest method is the best. Just take some time to wash your hands. It is the safest and best way to remove bacteria.
2. Essential Oils
If one cannot find a place to wash their hands, they can use essential oils. Place a drop of Lemon Essential Oil on the palm of each hand and rub the hands together. This will sanitize the hands without the need for hand sanitizer, and essential oils are just as easy to carry around in a purse or bag.